24 US Congressmen call on the US Mission to the United Nations to hold briefing on Anglophone crisis

Congress of the The United StatesWashington, DC 20515 October 17. 2017

The Honorable Nikki Haley United States Representative to United Nations United States Permanent Mission io the United Nations 799 United Nations Plaza New York. New York 10017

Dear Ambassador Haley.

On behalf of the Camcroon American Council (CAC) and the Cameroon diaspora of New York, we are troubled with the deteriorating conditions for the English-Speaking (Anglophones) minority in the Northwest and South-west regions of Cameroon. The concerns of the CAC arc serious: mass arrests. black out of Internet services for 94 days in the Western region of Anglophone-only communities, using live ammunition to disperse protests, and diminishing freedoms of the press. These beliefs arc strengthened by the U.S. State Department's 2016 Human Rights Report on Cameroon, which makes clear that the government of Cameroon has taken actions to undermine the equality of all citizens before the law. In addition to the concerns arising in the Western, Anglophone region, Cameroon faces humanitarian crises in other regions. In the North, Cameroon is combating famine and Boko Haram, and in the east. there is a flow of refugees fleeing the Central African Republic. The confluence of these events poses unique threats to the stability of Cameroon and to United States interests in Cameroon.

We respectfully request that the US Mission to the United Nations hold a briefing for the Cameroon Diaspora and their allies in the coming weeks. We believe a briefing will enable this very active community to better understand the situation from the perspective of the United Nation's Security Council, and will help the community communicate better with their family members, business partners and friends back in Cameroon. Thank you. Sincerely,